20 years ago, Jan. 5, 1995
50 years ago, Jan. 7, 1965
Snow Brings Fun, Work and Spills
Out by Davis Lake, near Winthrop, a 400 yard tubing hill is being whipped into shape. It has been on the slick side but since the new snow storm as the snow becomes packed from use it will get better. Tubing (sliding down hill on air filled inner tubes) is a relatively new sport in the valley. It is exhilarating and great fun but can also cause casualties like other sports.
Little eight year old Debbie Renn of Winthrop had the misfortune of breaking the large bone in her leg — above the ankle — while tubing with her sister on a short run in town on New Years Day.
At Twisp, Bill Laws and others have a tubing course broken out on the school hill, between the grade school and the playfield. It has afforded both children and adults pleasure during the holidays and weekends but is not used by school children during the days when school is in session.
Winthrop children, young people and a few older folk are using the new Kiwanis sponsored ice skating rink at the Winthrop grade school.
The rink is made on the concrete subfloor of the gym of the old school that burned Jan. 1, 1961. The steel reinforced concrete foundation walls and sub floor were found to be so difficult to remove that they had been left on the grounds in front of the new elementary school.
The Kiwanis Club decided to take advantage of the ready to flood rink and late in December during some below zero weather Bob Dabritz handled the flooding. He has reflooded the rink several times.
The biggest job at this skating rink is keeping the ice clean of snow when so much of it is falling so regularly. Twelve Winthrop kids equipped with twelve new shovels, purchased by the Kiwanis Club, are doing an adequate job of keeping ahead of it.
Winthrop school children are happy with the addition to their playground and many are seen on the rink during recess periods.
These Winthrop boys and girls would like to borrow skates to use (even part time) if anybody has some they will loan.
A skating ring in the New City Park at Twisp is being maintained and flooded by the Twisp Kiwanis Club. It has been flooded several times and snow removed, but is still a bit on the rough side. Don Scott of the PUD is putting lights in for night skating.
80 years ago, Jan. 4, 1935
Carlton Concrete Bridge Work to Begin Monday — Modern Structure to Accommodate All Traffic Requirements, and Connecting Roadway Will Open Methow Valley Highway to Safe Travel — Break Ground Next Monday for This Important Improvement
Equipment and materials are now being assembled for the immediate commencement of construction of the magnificent new Carlton reinforced concrete bridge and actual work is expected to begin next Monday, Jan. 7, including preparation for the commencement of work on nearly a mile of approaches and connecting highway.
The new Carlton bridge on the Methow Valley State highway is to be of the concrete girder type and will be 438.5 feet long, spanning the Methow river at the edge of the village of Carlton. Position of the bridge will be just below the present structure, rendered obsolete for present day travel. It will have full width roadway and walks. The new bridge will be set at an angle to provide a tangent in the highway of nearly a mile from Carlton south, so that most any driver will hereafter be able to negotiate this structure without skidding into the river. The new bridge and roadway will replace one of the worst sections of the entire highway, and will open the highway for all classes of traffic. Heavy traffic has been unable to use the Carlton bridge owing to its limited load capacity.
100 years ago, Jan. 1, 1915
Methow’s Christmas
Methow, Dec. 28 — Christmas was celebrated here with more of the Christmas spirit than heretofore. The school gave a Christmas tree and program for Thursday afternoon, the presents and candy being for the children alone, the whole affair reflecting great credit upon Miss Littlejohn, the teacher, and the children who prepared everything themselves.
The Methow Sunday school gave its White Christmas tree and entertainment Christmas night. An excellent program was rendered after which the pastor, the Rev. James, made a thrilling appeal to the audience to help the starving Belgians. The White gift was then collected and amounted to $70. Since that time several others have donated sums which will probably reach the $100 mark by Friday. It will be sent immediately in the shape of bread stuffs to the Belgians.
The News by H.E. Marble — Taxes and Division
The political composition of the county is such that this section is out of range of the grab box entirely. For several years there has not been a county official selected from this part of the county in any capacity. “Our” county commissioner lives in a portion of the county that is a hundred miles distant from this section, and a portion no more directly interested in our welfare than is Pacific or Whatcom counties. Our people are taxed without adequate return, and returns or no returns, optimistic as we would like to be, we cannot blind ourselves to the inevitable fact that a continuation of this policy will some day put us out of the paying.
Our own county, where we can have home government within our means, and something to show for the taxes we do pay, is the only solution of this question. It is time to quit the non-effective yell about “high taxes” and assist with an application of an effective remedy. And in saying this it is not the intention to incite any riot, but rather is it inspired by the unanimity with which taxpayers from every section of the Methow valley are eagerly signing petitions for the creation of a Methow county, for which our people have this long time been contending — though heretofore a few weeks too late to get desired results.
